A Savior Is Born
December 2022 |
It started out as an ordinary night. The shepherds sat on a hilltop watching their flocks as the sun began to set. A fire was lit in anticipation of the cool night air. It was going to be a long night. They needed to be ever vigilant for the safety of their flock. All was calm. All was peaceful. No one knew the silent night would become a holy night. No one knew a Savior was born.
A Virgin Shall Conceive
Isaiah, the Messianic prophet, spoke more than any other prophet about the coming of the Messiah, the ministry of the Messiah, the death and resurrection of the Messiah, and of the millennial reign of the Messiah. He revealed how the Messiah would begin his mission some seven hundred years before the incarnation of Christ: “The Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel” (Isa. 7:14).
It Had To Be
Jesus had to be born of a woman in order to replace us on the cross. Identification and substitution is a foundational truth in reference to atonement. The one bringing the animal to be sacrificed had to lay his hands with force on the head of the animal to be sacrificed showing identification and substitution. The lamb then could atone for his sins. Jesus had to be one of us to pay sin’s debt for us.
Born Without Sin
Jesus could not be have been born through the natural process or He would have been born with Adam’s sin. This would have disqualified Him as the Lamb of God. Mary spoke of her purity when told that she would conceive: “‘How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?’ And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God’” (Luke 1:34-35).
The Greatest Birth Known To Man
The shepherds had never seen a night like that night for there was never a child born like the Child born that night: “And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men” (Luke 2:9-14). What a night!
A Crib And A Cross
What made the crib important was the cross. What made the birth important was the death. What makes this story important is the story of salvation. Had Jesus not lived a perfect life, walked in obedience to the will of the Father, allowed sinful men to nail Him to a cross, and willingly laid down His life only to be raised three days later, there would be no celebration of His birth. We celebrate the birth of Christ because we celebrate the life, death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. Yes, it was a silent night, a holy night, for a Savior was born!
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